A2 Government and Politics - Ecologism Part Two

Outline the two key theories + strategy + 2 theori

1 of 14

Key theories:

Critique of Capitalism - Capitalism breeds materialism and consumerism due to need for profit which leads to relentless and unsustainable growth.

Commodification of Nature - Free Market turns nature into a commodity, something that only has use-value and can be eroded, labour and nature are both exploited. It treats them as a resource to create profit.

Key Strategy:

Economic Planning - Balance between red and green concern, should campaign within the socialist movement and focus on economic change. Economic planning needed to focus production of goods on human needs not profit. End of commodification.

Key theorist - WIlliam Morris - Early utopian pastoral socialist advanced small scale egalitarian craft comunities living close to nature.

Outline the two Key theories of Eco-Anarchism + st

3 of 14

Key theories:

Parallels between Natural and Social Order - Domination over other people linked to domination over nature. Rejection of government in society, parallels ecologist rejection of human 'rule' over nature.

A belief in spontaneous order - Believe that anarchist communities are like ecosystems. Balance and harmony spontaneously develops and both require no outside authority or control.

Key theorist: Murray Bookchin - Believed that the environmental crisis was a result of the breakdown of the organic fabric of both society and native ecological balance essential for social stability.

4 of 14

Outline the three key theories of Eco-Feminism + s

5 of 14

Key theories:

Intrinsic link between women and nature - Women's biological capacity to give something birth means they are connected to natural rhythms and processes. This structures their political / cultural orientations.

Women are naturally in harmony with nature - Female values have an ecological character, women recognise that nature operates in and through them and intuitively sense that personal fulfilment comes from acting with nature.

Key Strategy: Female only communities / consciousness raising - Rejection of the masculine world. Women = 'the vanguard in dealing with the ecological crisis'. Equality feminists believe that patriarchy distorts men and divorces them from the nurturing private world because of division of labour. Difference feminists see men as biologically programmed to destroy nature.